The present invention relates to a high-speed-manufacturing method of pre-fastening a disposable absorbent article having a slot-and-tab fastening system.
Disposable absorbent articles such as diapers, pull-on diapers, training pants, adults incontinence pads and the like, can include a fastening system for joining the front of the article to the rear of the article. The fastening system can comprise a tab member and a slot member disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/143,184 filed on Aug. 28, 1998, which is incorporated by reference herein. The disclosed fastening system is a refastenable fastening system that enables the wearer or the caretaker to refasten the article during the wear to provide a more comfortable fit. The engagement of the tab and slot members can be done by the wearer or caretaker when securing the article around the wearer, or, alternatively, during manufacturing of the article to effect a pre-fasten article that is ready to be pulled on the wearer. Such manufacturing requires folding a normally flat-out article into a folded configuration and inserting the tab member into a slot of the slot member to form the pre-fastened article. However, the manufacturing of disposable absorbent article is normally a high-speed production wherein individual articles often move along a production path at a speed of hundreds feet per minute, and inserting the tab member into the corresponding slot of the slot member at such high production speeds represents a problem.
Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide a high-speed-manufacturing method of pre-fastening a disposable absorbent article having a slot-and-tab fastening system to produce a pre-fastened absorbent article having engaged tab and slot members.
In response to the difficulties and problems discussed above, a new high-speed method of pre-fastening disposable absorbent articles during manufacturing of pre-fastened disposable absorbent articles having a slot-and-tab fastening system has been discovered.
The present invention concerns a method of dynamically pre-fastening disposable absorbent articles having a slot-and-tab fastening system as the articles are driven forward at a relatively high velocity along a predetermined path. The method includes the step of providing a disposable absorbent article being folded longitudinally into a bi-fold configuration. The method further includes the step of inserting at least a portion of a tab member of the slot-and-tab fastening system through a slot of the slot-and-tab fastening system. And the method further includes the step of while holding the portion of the tab member being inserted through the slot, moving the slot member of the article opposite to the direction of insertion of the portion of the tab member until the slot of the slot member passes beyond a lip portion of the tab member to effect a complete insertion of the tab member though the slot member and to effect a closed configuration of the slot-and-tab fastening system forming a pre-fastened disposable absorbent article.